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Post by fretki on May 18, 2014 7:24:07 GMT -5
Please continue to put slivers in his soup! And try to crush the kibble and just sprinkle a few crumbles on his soup and see if you can reduce the amount of kibble more and more I feed whole prey as well as frankenprey, my ferrets love it and it adds different protein sources to their diet. I would not be able to assist you to teach you live feeding, I don't feed live; one the one hand it is prohibited by law in the country I live in (it is considered animal cruelty), on the other hand I don't see the need, my ferrets eat it anyway and I consider it much safer for my oldies However I would suggest we start Jesse on a frankenprey diet and introduce whole prey as well, so he gets a mix of a few meals whole prey and frankenprey? Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2014 11:32:36 GMT -5
That sounds great!! And when the butcher called and said he go the hearts in, they were the gizzards that "may contain hearts" (disagree)
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Post by fretki on May 19, 2014 5:09:51 GMT -5
was like my butcher in the beginning, he gave me huge bones as a little present "for the ferrets" Could you ask for other hearts? Duck, rabbit, beef, lamb, turkey, pork? Don't get discouraged, in the beginning it may be a lot to look for Do you have a deep freezer? Maybe an online order would be an option if you could order a lot at once? How was the vet visit?
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2014 9:05:56 GMT -5
I will try to ask for other kinds of heart! and I only have a normal freezer, but I don't have much in it, so maybe it could be an option? And the vet called and had to reschedule because there was an emergency that needed the vet I was going to see.. and I was not able to go at a later time, so I will be going on the 28th..I'm not very happy about that! But I'm going to a shelter to help out with an open house, so hopefully she will be able to check his blood glucose level again there..
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2014 9:23:39 GMT -5
Oh and also, it was the bottom of the barrel for my soup, so a lot of it wasn't ground up enough, and he actually ate more than usual!! Big slivers and all! He used to have an extreme appetite and he would eat way more than the 1.5oz, but now his appetite is declining and he doesn't eat 100% of the soup now.. Could this be from the pred?
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Post by fretki on May 20, 2014 2:16:40 GMT -5
Yes, normal freezer might work as well: we here have very tiny freeze compartments integrated in the fridge so for my crew not enough space. usually buying in a bulk is cheaper or buying a certain amount is a precondition to order it in at the store/butchers... so I do it a lot, but it get's eaten fast with currently 11 ferrets (giggle) In the worst case, you need more ferrets to eat what you buy How long has he been eating soup now? When did you started his transition? Are you also going towards summer? It could be the pred, it could be the fact getting used to raw.. and usually going towards summer decreases their appetite, so it might be a bit a mix of different influences Please keep a food log, how much of what he is eating per day. And at least once a week check his weight. I would offer him 2 bowls, one with soup and one with a few slivers and see if he also takes the slivers without soup? Or hand feed him a few pieces to get him used to eat slivers. Feed him 3-4 pieces out of your hand and then put a sliver on a flat plate and see if he picks it up from there.
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2014 14:26:07 GMT -5
He's been eating soup now for a about 2 months...that sounds terrible but I was just so scared to move on without a mentor so I've kept them eating the soup and then started adding slivers. I am moving toward summer and but it does seem that his seasons are switched because his fur has gotten very light and he has gotten very chubby!
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Post by fretki on May 21, 2014 6:21:31 GMT -5
Is it ok for you to post a weekly update with following scheme? 1. Ferret's name: 2. Ferret's weight: 3. Ferret has eaten "X" amount on average per meal. 4. Stools on various proteins. 5. Activity levels: 6. Weekly menu: Choose a day, which is convenient for you, and then please post this little report every week Well, some kibble make ferrets look rather different from raw fed ferrets, when Shana arrived at my place, she looked like a pear (she was 6 at that time and had 1 kind of kibble for her entire life), she was bony around her head and neck and very chubby around her hip/tummy... and now she looks all sporty with a thin layer of fat all around and a well hydrated body Sometimes they really fill out with raw , mostly because of proper hydration, so it's not fat, it's water ...and if you are rather used to a kibble fed look you might think they go towards the "wrong" season because they get a little fattier if they already got soup for 2 months. did you do a new batch of soup? did you use to the soup recipe from here, have you got hearts in the meanwhile? well, starting raw on your own has the advantage for the mentor to skip one of the most difficult steps (shy) ...I know how hard it can be to get those stubborn mules to try something new with a strange consisteny, so for this step you already did a great job on your own! :thumbsup:
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2014 9:19:23 GMT -5
Thank you! I cannot wait to move on from the soupie stage, and this is a batch of new soup so actually that may be it because it just started when I started the new batch! Maybe I should add some more liver and gizzard into it? It was a bigger batch than I usually make because I froze a lot of it.. I have not been able to find hearts yet, I have one more place to check. He only ate .5 of his soup today I am not feeling to great today, Im sick and trying to stay away from him as much as possible
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Post by fretki on May 21, 2014 11:40:42 GMT -5
You are already moving away from the soupie, we do one step after the other What and how much of it is in the soup you prepared? Did you find an oil? Have you already tried to offer a piece with bone to Jesse? Like a chicken wing tip? Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2014 11:38:38 GMT -5
I'm sorry I've been sick with pneumonia and have barely been out of bed.. I used one chicken liver and one gizzard for about 5 chicken thighs. I am trying to use extra virgin olive oil and it is not going over too well. I have not tried to offer any Bone to Jesse. I'm wondering if he got sick from me because he is not eating anything unless I give it to him off my finger.. He's always very tired lately I'm making some new soup tomorrow so I'm really hoping that he likes the next batch better
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Post by fretki on May 24, 2014 15:17:26 GMT -5
I'm sorry I'll not be much of a help this weekend, caught a nasty cold, so I'm sick in bed as well...
Oh no, poor Jesse! Does he eat better if you give him just pureed chicken thigh meat?
Hope you both get well soon!
Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2014 9:26:15 GMT -5
No! I think thats his problem, he doesn't like the chicken thigh meat! Hes more likely to eat it if he has more liver or gizzards in the soup.
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Post by fretki on May 25, 2014 10:06:58 GMT -5
Could you try an other muscle meat as basic ingredient for the soup? Turkey, lamb, beef? Whatever you like him to try next Keep the batch you made in small portions in the freezer, he might re-eat it later in the switch... and if you start a new protein/new meat give him a tablespoon full of new soup first and then wait an hour or two to see how he feels digesting it, if he is ok, give him more and then check his poops as well If he has been eating chicken for 2 months now he might be tired of eating always the same, so try another protein, just start slow in small quantities; protein sensitivities are rather rare but better be safe than sorry. You can also put the muscle meat you used for the soup as slivers into the soup. I would suggest to not mix to many different things for the beginning, if you do a soup batch with turkey put turkey slivers in the soup, if you do a batch with beef, put beef slivers in the soup... If he likes gizzard give him gizzard, no worry! Can he already handle the size of a quater gizzard? It is chewy, so not bad to build up jaw-strength, he will need it for the bones later on Is he eating chicken liver without soup as well? Sent from my SM-G900F using proboards
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2014 23:03:38 GMT -5
1. Ferret's name: Jesse 2. Ferret's weight:2.3Lbs 3. Ferret has eaten "1 Oz" amount on average per meal. 4. Stools on various proteins.Lately his poop has been very small but its solid and looks okay, it just just in very small quantities 5. Activity levels:He's been wandering around and every once in a while will play, but not too often, and he is sleeping about 20 hours a day(From what I know, he is able to play in his room at night so I'm not sure what he is doing at night.) 6. Weekly menu:Just the chicken, liver, and gizzard soupie mixture, and kibble available but he never eats it.
I really think he is almost going backwards in this process because he is not eating as willingly(I have to feed him off a spoon or off my finger)but if i add more kibble and more liquidy he eats it no problem...I'm hoping changing up the protein will help.
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